What Paul Pogba’s Arrival Would Mean for Manchester United’s Midfield

Paul Pogba has been a Manchester United player before. Indeed, there was a time when he was supposed to be the future of Sir Alex Ferguson’s midfield. In the summer of 2011, at the height of the unending Wesley Sneijder-to-United rumours Sir Alex said, per Sky Sports:

The young boy Pogba is showing great promise. We are quite positive about him.

If we hold him back, what is going to happen? He will leave in a couple of years’ time when his contract has finished. We have to give him the opportunity to see how he will do in the first team.

Of course, that is not quite how it panned out. Pogba was denied the opportunity to prove himself—not by Sneijder but by Ferguson. Sir Alex had United fans question his decision-making when a midfield injury crisis in late December 2011 led him to start Park Ji-Sung and Rafael da Silva in the centre of the park rather than the Frenchman. Paul Scholes soon came out of retirement.

It turns out there would have been a place in the squad for Sneijder after all.

But that is ancient history. In football terms, five years is a lifetime. And United are reportedly on the verge of re-signing Pogba at tremendous expense, correcting Fergie’s last big mistake.

Don’t worry for Pogba! Just question of time #MUFC #transfers

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 1, 2016

Max Nerozzi of Turin-based outlet La Stampa recently said (h/t Sport Witness): “Pogba is on route to a new life at Jose Mourinho’s house in Manchester.”

This, combined with the story Bastian Schweinsteiger has had to move to the under-23s’ dressing room, reported by Jack Gaughan of the Daily Mail, will mean United’s midfield will have a different look under manager Mourinho than it did under previous boss Louis van Gaal. 

Schweinsteiger apparently has no place at Mourinho’s United, which makes sense from a tactical point of view. Plenty of fans would rather the new manager had taken a more conciliatory approach with the World Cup winner, but mostly for personal rather than professional reasons.

no respect

— Tobi Schweinsteiger (@tobits7) August 1, 2016

The former Germany international has been a warm presence at the club. He looked enthused to be playing for the Red Devils and often had a guiding word on the pitch for the youngsters around him.

But his performance level and the fact he missed a big chunk of last season through injury mean phasing him out is a bit of a no-brainer. Were Van Gaal still in charge, with prosaic possession football the order of the day, then there would still have been a place for Schweinsteiger in the side.

But beyond the occasional cameo it would be hard to see where the former Bayern Munich man would fit into a Mourinho side. And given he is one of the club’s best-paid players, earning …

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